The Celestial War
by Taze X Tail
Summary: Cyclonia has fallen and the Storm Hawks have followed Master Cyclonis to the Far Side; but it seems that there are bigger powers at play, and they are at the verge of war. Rated T just in case.
1. Intro: Pain of the Past

**Okay, okay. I know that I've made so many versions of this story and you guys are probably mad at me, but I think I most likely have it this time. This is basically the prologue of the last version, but with more detail and more added. I placing this under a new story because I want you to actually read this chapter before waiting till I wrote chapter 2. I'll explain more once you have read. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Introduction: Pain of the Past<p>

_"Over 5 billion years ago, the Atmos was nothing but dark clouds in a random part of space. Legend has it that the four, different color stars that surrounded it; a sky blue, a deep purple, a lemon yellow, and a lime green; were home to four immortals, or the celestials, according to modern times. There was Aurora, the one who lived on the blue; Infintalia, resident to the purple; Helix, native to the green; and Solun (soul-oon), originated from the yellow. They all had incredible abilities and infinite power to use them; but they all lived peacefully._

_However, on one day, a powerful force from within the black clouds shook the stars to the core. It seemed that something massive was ready to blow, but well, that wasn't entirely it. Something did erupt from it, but it wasn't an explosion. It was a black hole. The celestials wondered how it was possible, since there wasn't another star that could have been destroyed other than theirs. Their stars; their homes were being pulled into it. After every second, they kept getting closer. Then, Aurora had an idea to save this quadrant of the galaxy. She used her powers to send immense amounts of the flares from her star into the hole. The other celestials thought it as a dumb idea, but after considering that they won't survive this matter, they followed suit. To their surprise, they were wrong and they could see that the hole was actually diminishing. Unfortunately, they were still being sucked in. _

_During their efforts, another factor was added. In the space above them, out of the range of the hole, there floated a darker force even more dangerous than any black hole. Still, it wasn't a star, an asteroid, a planet, or anything for that matter. It was just a big blob of black shadow, soon to take form, and it knew the way to do it; use the power of the black hole and the power of the celestials. But when he saw what the celestials were doing, he knew he had to act fast. He dove straight down as fast as a bolt of lightning into the endless darkness. The celestials didn't notice it. _

_Finally, the celestials were able to get the black hole closed, but something remained. A sphere of pure black hovered where the black hole opened. Storm clouds of red orbited it. The celestials didn't know what to make of it. Then it disappeared."_

_In a home on a small, distant terra, a four year old boy sat under the covers of his bed as his mother finished the rest of her story. She sat on the side of his bed, staring into the face of her son. His emerald eyes were so full of hope, so full of creativity, and so full of curiosity. _'But how long will it last? I haven't told him about his father yet. Oh, he sure does look like him'_ she thought sadly. Then the boy fell asleep._

* * *

><p>Aerrow opened his eyes. He stood on the balcony of the Condor watching the lands of the Far Side in front of him. A tear rolled down his cheek as he remembered the times he had with his mother. He didn't have too many memories of his father, since he was always out protecting the Atmos as a sky knight, but he understood, even as a kid and loved him anyway. Unfortunately, those days were long ago. Fourteen years have passed and here he stood, as the new sky knight of the Storm Hawks, leading his team into the unknown. He wiped his face and headed to his room. He walked through the hallways, which were silent since his team hadn't awoken yet.<p>

Once he was alone inside his room, he went to his desk, where only a journal of their missions from his perspective and a pen sat. He sat in the chair and looked at the various pictures on the wall. These were pictures that were taken when he and his team would not be on a mission. However, there was one picture that stood out. It was him, standing with mother and his father who was dressed in his armor. That day was the last time he saw his father. Not even three days later, he loses his mother as well. Aerrow tried to hold back the tears, just in case someone barged in on him.

"I hope you saw what we did today from the world you live in now. Even fourteen years later, I still miss you guys."

Aerrow couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears kept coming. He buried his head into his arms.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a grand hall of a castle that sits on the highest mountain top of the Far Side, a woman was looking into a wide bowl of water that sat on top of a pedestal that was at her waist. She was dressed in royal-like robes that had many shades of blue. A sapphire encrusted, silver circlet wrapped around her head, sliver pendants hung from her ears, and silver necklaces with sapphires hung from her neck. Her name is Aurora, the Celestial of energy.<p>

"Only if they knew that his mother's story was true," she sighed sadly.

Three others stood behind her.

"They don't, so they have to deal with it," said one of them.

This brute Celestial's name is Solun. He is the Celestial of Time and the one who regulates the sun's and the moon's positions. His usual attire is golden pants with a bronze belt and brown boots. He wears no items on his upper body, mostly due to his ideology that he is the strongest on shows off his muscles. When he does, it's usually a long, golden robe. He also carries a staff with the sun with a clock at its center and a moon at the bottom.

"Oh stop it, Solun. You mustn't be so harsh. After all, this boy and his friends are the saviors of their side of the Atmos and the ones Aurora had chosen," another replied confidently.

This Celestials name is Infintalia, the Celestial of Spirit. Her outfit is similar to that of a blade dancer. Her top is a dark purple tube-top with gold, stringy accents. She wears dark purple, sweat-like pants with a long, gold drape flowing behind her. Gold flats shield her feet and a sheer, gold shawl hangs at her arms. Like Aurora, she wears a circlet, but hers is gold with a single amethyst in the middle. She also wears gold, large hoop-like earrings and gold chains and amethysts around her neck.

"Don't tell me how to work, Infintalia! And none of your mind games will work either."

"I wasn't going to-"

"Enough! Why must you two fight?" the last one questioned angrily.

This guy is Helix. He wears black pants and brown hunting boots on his legs. He has a sleeveless, white shirt with a dark green cloak with dark brown, leaf accents that is held tight by a belt of branches. He also wears dark brown gloves on his hands and carries around a wooden magic staff.

"Helix, stay out of it!" Solun growled.

"Our fight is with Tyranus, not each other!" Helix declared.

"Then why must the sky knights have all the fun? Why not destroy Tyranus ourselves?" Solun asked annoyed.

"You know exactly why, Solun," the blue robed woman sighed again.

"The sake of the entire world, blah, blah; I get it, Aurora. But, must we trust them? Mortals?"

Aurora rubbed her temples and sighed once more. But, Infintalia was the one that spoke up.

"Of course we must! We lost much of our power sealing Tyranus the last time. Since that witch, Cyclonis, released him, all we can do is trust them."

Solun remained silent.

"But this boy . . . didn't you save them, Aurora? Didn't you send them the messages?" Helix asked.

"I did."

"So why not lead him to them?"

"The sky knight must not get distracted, then again, there's not much I can do in that matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to," Aurora said as she left the room.

* * *

><p>Piper walked into the bridge and saw Stork at the helm. She had just come from the kitchen, where Finn, Junko and Radarr are trying to find something to eat. Unfortunately, the last few months have been rough since Cyclonis was able to get Atmosia to surrender. However, it was just two days ago that they liberated every single terra under her control, including Atmosia.<p>

Today, they were going to make contact with the first sign of Far Side civilization. Piper looked out the front window, and saw the buildings in the distance. They weren't very far from where the Condor was sitting. Still, they had to be careful because maybe the leader of this city was the one who gave Cyclonis the technology she used.

This is why only she, Aerrow and Finn are going to do some reconnaissance.

_Wait, where is Aerrow? He's usually up here early, _she thought, a little concerned for her sky knight.

She left the bridge and headed to his room. She knocked on his door.

_"Come in,"_ came his voice from the other side.

Piper opened the door and saw Aerrow at his desk. His arms were on it and his head was on top of them, facing away from Piper.

"Are you okay, Aerrow? You're usually on the bridge at this time," she stated, a little concern in her voice.

"I'm fine," he replied flatly and almost inaudibly.

Piper sighed. She knew her leader was lying. However, she didn't want to end up striking nerves with guessing something personal. She looked at the wall of pictures in front of him. She walked over to it, standing right next to the sky knight. She saw that one picture, and then it hit her. _It's that time of year, huh? No wonder why. Still, he's never like this, _she thought to herself.

"I'm sure they're proud of you," she said half-sadly.

She heard him let out a low gasp then a sigh.

"I hope so . . ." he said sadly, still not looking at Piper.

"You don't have to hide your tears, Aerrow. Even sky knights cry every once and a while."

With that, he looked up to the crystal mage, wet trails from his tears still visible on his face. Piper smiled. His expression was still depression.

"But, why, of all times . . . I cry now? Usually, I don't cry on this day. Close maybe, but I . . ." he stood up and walked over to his bed.

He started crying again.

"Aerrow . . ." Piper said about to take a step closer to him.

Then Finn comes walking in, not hearing their conversation.

"Hey, are you guys- dude, you okay?" the sharpshooter asked his leader, his expression becoming worried.

"Ssh!" Piper whispered urgently to Finn.

"F-first _he_ falls by the hand of a traitor, t-then _he_ pushes her over the side of the terra. . . It's all because of _him_," Aerrow said to himself, forgetting Piper and Finn were in the room.

Piper turned to Finn.

"Go wait in the hangar. We'll be there shortly," she told him.

Finn gave a nod of understanding and left the room. Piper sat next to Aerrow on the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess you've been holding it in for so long that it finally burst the mental cage you trapped it in," she said reassuringly, "Come on, we have a city to explore."

Aerrow raised his head from his hands, again not wiping away the tears. He watched his crystal mage leave the room, leaving him to his own thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you like this one better? Alright, as I was saying, I put this under a new story because I wanted you to see that I changed the chapter, instead of you getting confused. So there. And as far as parings go, I'm for some Aerrow and Piper, but I'm not certain there will be any. And eventually, I might have pictures of the Celestials on my deviantart page (user: Shadowstar1997) and maybe some other stuff as well. <strong>

**I also want to say that I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting. There are days where I don't get to this stuff because of schoolwork and other things, and ****_sometimes_**** when I do, I'll be brainstorming for other stories and not so much for this one. ****_Therefore, the time periods in between the updates may be a while._**

**Have any questions about my status? Either PM me or review any of my stories.**

**Want to say something about this story? Review! (I highly recommend it . . . Please?)**


	2. 1: The New Sights

**Hey y'all! Told ya I'd post this chapter soon, well, for those who have read my announcements in my new Slugterra fic. For the ones who haven't, check it out sometime ;) Anyway, enjoy Chapter 1!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: The New Sights<p>

It was a street filled with life and color. Kiosks and food stands lined the square, with the real shops behind them. Aerrow watched the crowd from under the hood of the tan cloak he was wearing to cover the injuries he received from his recent battles, which were bandaged. Also, he was shirtless and there were tears in his pants. He was leaning against a wall, taking a break from the two hours of walking around this new city. A few more moments passed by before the sky knight headed out into the square. He saw many shops. Many of them sold a bunch of the things they used back home in their Atmos.

_This is no different than Atmosia_, he thought as a smile formed on his face.

However, there was one difference; not everyone was human.

He saw creatures out of this world. There were ones that looked human, but they had long, pointy ears that stretched out of the sides of their heads. Another particular race look like Merbs, such as Stork, but they had bat wings and fangs. The last unknown ethnicity were similar to that of Blizzarians, but were as bulky as Wallops.

_So strange . . . only makes me wonder._

That wasn't in Aerrow's mind long. His thoughts trailed back to earlier that morning. His emotions and memories got the best of him and he broke down in front of Piper and Finn. Even though his memories of the past always had hurt him, not up until now did he literally cry about it.

_But why?_

Was it like Piper said; had held it in this entire time and it finally just released itself? Or was something . . . else? That was what the sky knight didn't know.

* * *

><p><em>Wow, this place is amazing! <em>Piper mentally exclaimed as she read.

When she, Aerrow and Finn split up to observe the city, she found the library with ease. She's been in there for the last two hours, learning what she can about this side of the Atmos. However, she still has a long way to go. The most she learned about was the city; Lumina Admiral, the capital of Entherion*. It was home to the Entherion Sky Knight council, where the sky knights, their squadrons, the Elven armies of Avalon, the Metakaine forces of Vasperian and the Lunari battalions of Centuris come together once a year to discuss the situations of their areas.

_Aerrow would be glad to hear that. _

Piper looked down at her attire. Her uniform was in ruins. Her pants became shorts, the lower half of her shirt was ripped off and her gloves were no more. To keep hidden from wandering eyes looking at her and her visible injuries, she wore a tan cloak.

_We just need to look like a squadron again._

Then her mind trailed to what happened with her sky knight.

_Poor Aerrow; his past is so full of tragedy. More than mine that's for sure._

A shiver ran up her spine as something else came to mind.

* * *

><p><em>Man, talk about a major fixer-upper, <em>Finn thought as he saw the sight in front of him.

Out of the other nice buildings on the street, this one was run down and dark. The windows and doors were boarded up, black holes pierced the walls, and a piece of the roof was missing.

"Oh, that used to be a tavern you know."

Finn jumped and turned around, a slight hint of fear within them. He relaxed when he realized it was only an old woman who happened to be passing by.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my boy!" she chuckled, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Uh, it's alright. What happened to this place?" Finn asked curiously.

"'Tis was Mr. Baron's Tavern; it was a fine place to grab a drink back in the day. Unfortunately, a couple of drunk, no-good men started fightin'. A bartender tried to stop it, but the conflict escalated and weapons were involved. Blasts were fired and the tavern was taking the hits," the elder answered.

Finn shook his head in exasperation. He couldn't believe how stupid people can be.

The woman continued, "Eventually, the place caught ablaze because a stray blast hit a stove or something explosive. No one knows for sure. Anyway, the explosion took everyone in the entire place, includin' the drunkards who started it."

"What a story," Finn sighed.

"I'm more interested in yours, my boy. Why you wearin' a cloak? It'd be the middle of summer," she stated curiously.

Finn looked down at himself. He wore the cloak to cover his bandaged injuries and ruined uniform. His torso was bare and his pants torn at the knees. He wasn't sure what to say to the elder standing in front of him.

"Uh . . . Let's just say I've seen worse than this," he finally said, pointing to the ruined building, "I've got to go and find my friends. It was a pleasure talking to you, ma'am."

"Anytime, my boy."

Finn turned away from the lady and walked away.

_Back on the Condor . . . what was wrong with Aerrow? He looked so miserable,_ he thought as his mind worked as he walked.

_Was it his past? It is that time of year after all . . ._

* * *

><p>A girl stood at a table, a crystal in one hand and a vile in another. In front of her was a pot of the strange brew she was creating. She needed a few more ingredients and the concoction would be complete. She was reading the recipe from the book she had open next to her other ingredients on the table.<p>

This girl was an extraordinary girl. She was smart and like creating different things, like now. She also had abilities that were extremely rare. Her more or less shoulder length hair was this dark brown, almost black color, with bangs covering a side of her face. In contrast, her eyes were this light hazel color with a tint of green and her skin was light. She was dressed in a sleeveless, black and white, one-piece uniform, which the bottom half was shorts and an attached hood rested on her shoulders. She also wore dark gray, mid-thigh tights; dark brown, knee-high boots; several dark brown belts; dark gray/dark brown, long, fingerless gloves that went up to her mid-bicep; and a purple, star shaped crystal hanging around her neck. Usually, she would also have a little bit of silvery armor protecting her, but the only piece she was wearing at this moment was her back plate with an insignia. The insignia was to the sky knight squadron she was currently a member of; the Blazing Phoenixes.

However, as she was working, an ominous feeling raced through her body. She turned off the burner and carefully put her materials down as she became dizzy. But, so many things whizzed around her head. She lost her balance and had to use the tabletop for support, dropping the vile she had in her hand before she could set it down.

Her laboratory door swung open as two boys, her squad mates, no more than a year older than she was, barged in. They had heard the vile break once it had hit the floor.

One boy had tanned skin; messy, Mohawk-style hair that made it seem like a calico cat was sleeping on his head (black, blonde and light brown); and piercing gold eyes. His pointed ears, which had two silver rings hanging near the tip, clearly stated that he was of the Elven race. His uniform was only consisted of a pair of black pants with dark brown boots and silver armor that protected his shoulders, knees and shins. He had these black gauntlets on his arms with a crystal slot engraved at the center of his forearm with black, half-finger gloves underneath. Dark, dark purple, almost black markings were tattooed onto one side of his tanned torso, one being the Blazing Phoenixes insignia on his back.

The other boy had fair skin; slick, gravity defying jet black hair with a few strands that was in his face; and his eyes were this light green color that almost every girl liked. His uniform was like the girl's; sleeveless, black and white; but, his was made of two pieces and bottoms were pants. He wore dark brown boots, like the others; he wore black, half-fingered gloves; a dark brown belt with a single silver chain hanging from the right side; and of course his armor. He wore more armor than his friends and the only one who's right shoulder plate had the insignia of the squadron other than just the back plate, or in elf's case, tattoo.

On the other hand, none of them was wearing their armor other than the back plates because they weren't out and about at this moment. They were making sure their friend was okay.

"Mae!" they cried harmoniously, concern in their voice.

The girl, Mae, was struggling to remain standing but didn't want her friends worry.

"I-I'm fine g-guys . . . j-just another d-dizzy-"

Then, her wooziness was gone. Her body stabilized its balance. However, her mind wasn't completely at ease; what she had seen during that spell, was something she could never forget.

* * *

><p><strong>A cliffhanger . . . I think. This one was a little bit shorter than the last time I updated this one, but I hope you liked it! I'll explain about the "races" later (I think you know what the Elven race looks like.)<strong>

****The word "Entherion" is a word I believe is used in two manga-based anime ****_Fairy Tail _****and ****_Rave Master_****. Actually, I know it's used in ****_Fairy Tail_**** (Jellal Fernandes getting the Magic Council to fire the Entherion cannon), but I haven't watched much of ****_Rave Master_**** to tell. I just like the term and used it here, even though I'm not sure I spelled it right. ****_Therefore, I did not make up this term. It belongs to the creator (he did both) of the mentioned anime._********

**I do not own Storm Hawks (If I did, there would be a season 3.) Mae and the last two (yet to be formerly introduced) characters are mine.**

**Reviews are welcome!**


	3. 2: Mindful

**Hi again. Been a while, hasn't it? My internet was shut off. However, I wrote three more chapters for this story and a couple more for my Slugterra story. **

**I'm not going to lead in for the next couple of chapters, so I hope you enjoy them all!**

**(Oh, two more things; my OC squadron name has been changed to Meridian Phoenixes and there's an AxP awkward moment in Ch. 2.)**

**I do not own Storm Hawks except for my OCs.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Mindful<strong>

_Squadron Log:_

_It had been a week since we've arrived to the Far Side of Atmos, or rather, Entherion. We have been hanging around a city called Lumina Admiral. It's a pretty amazing place, and it kind of reminds me of Atmosia in way; most likely the tall beacon tower at the center of it._

_Anyway, the first day we explored the city and it turns out that it's not much different on this than the Atmos. Crystals are still the most dependable energy source around and there are still sky knights. However, as far as sky knights go, there's not as much of them on this side, according to what I found out. On this side, there are kingdoms, large ones in fact, and they are home to the different races. There are cities, such as Lumina Admiral, that are regions that the races of these kingdoms can coexist. With that said, these kingdoms, we know nothing about them, other than the name of them, their locations, and the name of the residential races._

_Although we found out a few things about this side of the Atmos, there's still a lot we don't know about. There's also the fact that Cyclonis is still floating around somewhere. We lost her when passed through the door and now have no idea where she could be hiding. However, that's not what I'm most concerned with..._

_Aerrow… he's on the top of my mind. And not only on mine, but Finn's, Junko's, Raddar's and Stork's as well. We're worried about him. We understand it's around this time of year is a little…down, but as of last week, it seems that his wounds are far deeper than we realized. Seeing him just break down after keeping it shut for all these years…it's just… He told us what happened that day. Just only a few days after the Battle for Atmos…after the death of Aerrow's father and the first Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks, Lightning Strike…his home terra was attacked by the Cyclonians. They were led by the same monster who betrayed them, the Dark Ace. During that tragedy, Aerrow lost his mother as well._

_Still, what's done is done and nothing can change it. All we can do in the present is hope for a better future. Well, it's getting late. I better end here for now._

_Piper out._

* * *

><p><em>"This…This is…"<em>

_He watched the horror occur before him. He watched as the older sky knight was struck with his own sword by a man he trusted._

_"Nooo!" the young man shouted in sorrow, pain and grief as the sky knight fell, motionless to the lava pits below with no parachute or glider. He dove down after him. He came up beside him, but when he tried to grab him, his arms went right through._

_But, something strange happened._

_A bright white light came from nowhere, blinding the young man. When it settled, the fallen sky knight was gone. Then he caught sight of the sky rides of the sky knight's squadron members, who fell alongside their leader. However, the young man didn't see any bodies just their rides. He didn't know what to think. Did they end up somewhere safe, or somewhere worse? Either way, they were in bad shape._

_Then suddenly, a black cavern opened underneath him and a serious downdraft pushed him into it. It was pitch black, he couldn't see although, he knew his eyes were open._

_"Where am I?" he asked quietly to no one._

_Then a purple light ignited in the distance. It wasn't all that bright, unlike the white light from earlier._

_"What in the..?"_

_Then the light separated into three beams that shot past him. They unexpectedly gave a strong, hot wind that blew him back a few spots._

_"Whoa!" he said as he recovered._

_He looked ahead and found the light gone. He looked around but it was gone._

_"What was that about?"_

_"Those were Infintalia's lights. Her chosen warriors."_

_He looked around once more and saw nothing._

_"Who are you...? Scratch that, where are you?"_

_The feminine voice spoke again._

_"You cannot see me, but I can see you. You saw the visions have you?"_

_The young man was confused._

_"Visions?"_

_"Why yes. The dreams you have had the past few days."_

_"Wait, you're the one that gives those nightmares?"_

_"Answers will be given in due time, Aerrow. But, I plead that you must help your mage awaken the Heart Stone as soon as you can. I will discuss more with you when that is done."_

_"Wait! Who are you? What's this Heart Stone?"_

_"I'm counting on you, sky knight. The whole world is counting on you and your friends."_

* * *

><p>"No! Wait!"<p>

Aerrow burst awake and sat up quickly, the sheets sliding off his bare chest. When realized he wasn't dreaming anymore, he calmed down.

"That was…different," he sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

He looked to where Radarr was sleeping. Or, at least he thought he was sleeping.

"Radarr?" the sky knight called out.

The sky monkey let a squeak in answer. Aerrow bent over the side of his bed to see him on the floor. Radarr recovered and looked up at the red head with concern. The sky knight chuckled and half smiled.

"Sorry, buddy. Just had a… strange dream."

_But, what does it mean? I better tell Piper about this._

* * *

><p>Solun was getting impatient.<p>

"They spend enough time worrying about those brats. Why do we have to wait around for them?" he boomed furiously.

Helix sighed in annoyance. He had to listen to the Celestial of Time's ranting all day. He's finally tired of it.

"Stop your foolish rants!" he spat out, "Settle down for once!"

Solun went into a rage with the Celestial of Life's outburst.

"Settle down? Settle down!" he yelled, "Helix, how can I settle down when Aurora and Infintalia are playing with their 'toys' when Tyranus is in the process of unsealing!"

Now it was Helix's turn to grow angry, but for a better reason.

"You think they're playing, Solun?! They are spending as much time possible to prepare the warriors they found worthy for a battle for the world. The world we've created for nature and energy to flourish, and for their memories to last centuries."

"No, we accidentally created this world remember? This was _one_ of the two side-effects from trying to shut down a black hole with four different powers."

"You're only partially correct on that one, Solun. This world was indeed created under those circumstances, but_ you_ must remember that this world was barren, cold and lifeless when it first started. _We_ made this world prosper. _We_ made this world grow."

"You make sound like we are some sort of gods."

"No, you are!"

Solun paused and Helix continued.

"By downgrading our creations and saying that we can beat Tyranus ourselves states that real clearly. We don't have enough power to fight Tyranus!"

"But when our stones activate we will."

"No we won't. We still won't have enough to fight. To support the ones who can maybe, but not us. Besides, even if it was possible, how long do you think it would take for our stones to fall into the hands worthy enough to activate them?"

Solun remained silent, knowing that the Celestial of Nature was correct.

"You may be the Celestial of Time, but not even you can predict what will happen in the future nor forget what past has given."

Then a blue and a purple light appeared. The two Celestials saw Aurora and Infintalia underneath them accordingly. The light upon them vanished and they opened their eyes to see their fellow Celestials.

"Is it done?" Helix asked.

"With the Heart Stone still in its dormant state I only did what I could; give _him_ more dreams about the unknowns of his past," Aurora answered truthfully, "What about the Meridian Phoenixes, Infintalia? Have you spoken to them?"

"I gave Mae a vision of the Storm Hawks' victory against Cyclonia. I'm sure she will do the rest on her own," the Celestial of Spirit said calmly.

"Good, I just hope for the world's sake, we can ready them for what's to come. Tyranus may be mostly powerless as of late, but he has a grand army at his command. His commanders are ruthless and the Darkened will destroy everything in sight."

"I must ask, Aurora. Shouldn't you be speaking with the mage instead, especially when she does not have a full understanding of her powers?" Helix questioned once more.

"You make a good point, but with my stone not activated, I can only speak to her leader. Besides, I'm sure he will ask her about it, and she keeps practicing and experimenting every day. She can master it before I can get the chance to aid her."

* * *

><p>Piper laughed as flew excitedly through the air. She hadn't felt like this since they had lost the first battle against Cyclonia. After a moment, she stopped flying and looked around. She was high enough to get a great view of Lumina Admiral ahead. It was and amazing sight. Lights shined in the darkness of night.<p>

"So beautiful!"

Unfortunately, it came to an end.

"Huh?"

She felt herself losing altitude and losing power. She tried to reengage the power from the crystals, but it was no use. She was gaining speed and it made her dive towards the platform she took off from.

"Crap! There out of juice!" she exclaimed.

She saw the ground coming up fast, closed her eyes and braced for the impact. However, surprisingly, there wasn't one. She opened her eyes to see the leaf green orbs of her leader.

* * *

><p>He knew everyone was still asleep, but Aerrow was still to going to the bridge; to the balcony. It didn't take him long to get there. And there, he saw Piper, floating high in the air covered in a blue aura. A blue, green and red crystal orbited her as she did. Practicing as always. She's been doing this for hours each day, he thought admirably.<p>

Then she started falling, fast. He waited to see if that was what she was aiming for. He was wrong.

"Crap! There out of juice!" he heard her state as she came down.

The sky knight jumped from the balcony, catching her and landing on his feet on the platform below. He sighed in relief, but noticed that her eyes were shut. She had braced herself for the fall. She opened them when she realized that she hadn't it the ground. He smirked.

"Hi there," he joked.

"Hey yourself. Finally got out of that room, huh?" she retaliated.

"Yeah."

Aerrow put her down and then noticed something…disarming that he hadn't went he caught her. His jaw dropped and stared at her, his face turning a deep red that put his own hair into shame. He covered his eyes with one of his hands, astonished at the sight. The crystal mage raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked confused.

He said nothing and pointed at her chest with hand he wasn't using. Piper slowly looked down and her face became that same shade of red. She gasped and immediately covered her _bare_ chest with her arms and turned away from Aerrow. She searched for her tank top, which had come off during her fall. It was where the crystals landed. She made sure he wasn't looking and put it back on. Afterwards, she turned back to the sky knight, who still had his eyes covered. She crossed her arms.

"Um…you're…you're safe now," she stuttered, still blushing in embarrassment.

Aerrow lowered his hand and opened his eyes. However, even though it was now light, his blush remained. He looked at the floor. It was awkwardly silent for a minute or two before they spoke again.

"So, uh…what are you doing here this late?" Piper asked.

"Uh, I just had a crazy dream," he answered, looking at her again.

Piper's arms dropped to the side, the embarrassment of her incident leaving her.

"Crazy how?"

As the sky knight started explaining, the awkwardness between them left. The sat down on the ground talking about it.

"At first, it started like any other of my nightmares, watching the Dark Ace strike my dad and not able to do a thing about it. But, this time, he disappeared in a flash of white light. Then I saw the wrecked rides of his squadron, but no bodies. Then was sucked into this… 'crack in the sky' you might say, and ended in someplace pitch black. I saw nothing for a while then saw this purple light shining in the distance. Suddenly, it split into three beams that shot past me, literally blowing me away with a strangely hot wind. Then a woman's voice starts talking to me, saying that they were, quote unquote 'Infintalia's lights-'"

"Whoa wait. Infintalia?" Piper questioned in awe, testing him to make sure she wasn't joking around.

"I told you; crazy right? So anyway, she also said that the first part of the dream was a vision, like if it was what really happened that day. No she said 'visions', as if she she was the one giving me those nightmares," Aerrow continued.

"What else did she say?"

"That she can't say anymore until I help you activate some stone. I don't remember what she called it," he said exasperatedly.

It was silent for a moment, then Piper spoke.

"Hm, let me guess…she called it the Heart Stone, didn't she?"

Aerrow thought about it for a second and went wide eyed.

"Yes! That's it! How did you know?" he asked her, his turn to be the one awe-struck.

"When you said Infintalia it hit me. Aerrow, believe it or not, I think Aurora might be trying communicating with you."


	4. 3: Visitor

**Chapter 3: Visitor**

Piper stood up. Aerrow did the same and followed her inside. He was have trouble trying to keep up with her.

"Are you serious? Aurora? The Celestial? The Celestials are all a part of legends, stories told by our mothers when we were kids," Aerrow questioned, a little caught off guard.

Piper stopped and turned around with a smile on her face.

"Think about it, Aerrow!" she exclaimed before walking again, "According to you, you haven't mourned for your parents since the day your home terra was ravaged by Cyclonians; you been having the same supposed nightmare every single night before tonight; and she said for you to awaken the Heart Stone, her source of power. She even mentioned Infintalia, the Celestial of Spirit, creator of the mind!"

They came upon Piper's room, which they entered. Piper went to her bookcase straight away and searched for the books she wanted. She pulled out two; a thick, black one and a large white one. She placed them side by side on her desk. Aerrow read the titles.

"_The Celestials: Reality or Fantasy?_ and _Sky Knights of Entherion._ What are you researching?"

"These are books I borrowed from the library in Lumina Admiral. Actually, the black one I got for you. I thought you might like to read about how the sky knights are visualized on this side. Anyway…"

Piper opened the white book and kept turning pages.

"Here we go, 'It is said when the Celestials sealed Tyranus away in the Vidrus Fowl Caves within the Exodoux Mountains, their powers were silenced as an effect and the four Celestial Stones were created. If each stone is awakened, then the Celestials are free to roam the world.'"

"Okay…'Free to roam the world'? What, so they're supposedly trapped somewhere?"

Piper turned the page. One side had writing, and the other, diagrams.

"Look at this, 'Even though the Celestials cannot leave there home of Sepharan, they can choose warriors to help them keep the world peaceful and make sure that Tyranus stays in his prison. These warriors, these 'lights', in the Celestials' eyes, have the potential to awaken the Celestial Stones.' And the next page, it shows what these stones are supposed to look like."

"They're crystals…no wonder you're so caught up in this," Aerrow stated as he shook his head.

Piper opened the black book and flipped the pages.

"Wait," Aerrow said as looked at the stone diagrams, "The dormant state of this one looks…"

Piper smirked.

"Now read this," she said giving him the black book.

It was open to a certain page.

"The Meridian Phoenixes? They have three members like the Third Degree Burners."

"Read the fifth paragraph, last line," Piper demanded calmly.

"'The other sky knights, even though not at first, believe Infintalia has chosen them as her warriors because the girl is a psychic and she wears a star-shaped amulet.' Wait, star-shaped?"

Aerrow went wide eyed and looked to the other book.

"'The Star Stone, the stone that sealed the powers of Infintalia, the Celestial of Spirit.' At first, like you, I didn't believe it. Actually, I thought it was just coincidence. But when you explained your dream to me, there just had to be some sort of connection!"

"Okay, maybe this isn't made up lore. We should research this more. Let's hit the library when morning comes," Aerrow said thoughtfully.

Then there was a clattering noise just outside Piper's door.

* * *

><p>"Whoa!"<p>

He saw it, the ship everyone in Lumina Admiral has been talking about. He scanned the outside of the ship with the flashlight he brought with him.

"Let's see…" he said cleverly, "Beige and gray in color; has a landing platform and a hangar bay, so there must be sky rides in there. There are also large windows and a balcony overlooking the platform. Wait, there's an insignia; a blue hawk? Does this belong to a squadron? Or, perhaps a band of pirates? No, then we would've seen the stores in Lumina Square ransacked and in ruin…"

Then something came to his mind.

"How about we get a closer look!"

He took out a green crystal and threw against the side of the ship. A wave of green energy made its way over every section of the ship. Next, he took out the long rope with a grapple hook tied to the end. He spun the hook side above his head and threw it high in the air, catching onto the balcony rail. He pulled on it to make sure it was steady. He smirked and started climbing up. He came upon the platform of the ship and heard voices coming from inside the hangar. Not letting go of the rope he peeked into it. He saw two people, no older than eighteen, walking into the ship. He saw two sky rides, both dark red and brown in color.

"Only two?" he theorized in wonder, "Either they stole the rides or they stole the ship. However, if I go that way I might get spotted."

He continued up to the balcony, but scouted to see if it was clear before climbing onto it. It was and he lifted himself onto it. He looked into the windows and saw the helm; and he saw someone sleeping on the circular table at the center of the room.

"This must be the bridge…Oh, is that a Lunari? He doesn't look like one. He's green and has no wings. Either way, he still lives here. I must be silent."

He had snuck onto the bridge, and tipped-toed past the one sleeping on the table. He went straight for the door on the other side. Once he reached it, it opened with loud clank. He cringed.

"Huh? What?"

He turned around to see the one on the table, sitting up half awake facing the direction away from him. He took out another crystal, a tiny, purple one, and tossed it gently onto the table. A low, soothing song came from it and the guy lied back down, falling asleep again. He sighed in relief.

"I hate when people have their doors set to automatic," he whispered in annoyance.

Then he noticed the dimly lit hall in front of him had many of these doors.

"Oh, my… Great, just great," he grumbled, "Well, if I wake someone up, have a couple more Lullaby crystals with me. However, if that doesn't work, I'll be in deep trouble. Wait, not all of these doors automatically open. Some of them must be private quarters."

He slowly made his way down the hall. He made sure to stay away from the doors that were set to automatic. He came upon the second hallway. He poked his head out to see if there was anyone around. He saw no one. On the other hand, he spotted an open room with a brighter light on. He heard voices coming from it. Curiosity overcame him and quietly crept over to the door. He listened in…

"These warriors, these 'lights', in the Celestials' eyes, have the potential to awaken the Celestial Stones.' And the next page, it shows what these stones are supposed to look like."

An excited girl's voice.

"They're crystals…no wonder you're so caught up in this."

An unsurprised guy's voice.

"Wait, the dormant state of this one looks…"

"Now read this."

"The Meridian Phoenixes?"

His eyes narrowed. _That's Dimitry's squadron. Now we're getting somewhere…_

"Read the fifth paragraph, last line."

"'The other sky knights, even though not at first, believe Infintalia has chosen them as her warriors because the girl is a psychic and she wears a star-shaped amulet.' Wait, star-shaped?"

_Mae…_

"'The Star Stone, the stone that sealed the powers of Infintalia, the Celestial of Spirit.' At first, like you, I didn't believe it. Actually, I thought it was just coincidence. But when you explained your dream to me, there just had to be some sort of connection!"

"Okay, maybe this isn't made up lore. We should research this more. Let's hit the library when morning comes."

_I better go now…_

He tried his best to creep away as quietly as he could. Unfortunately, as he turned the corner back to the bridge, he tripped on the plant that was there.

"Who's there?"

_Oh, crap! I'm in trouble! Lullaby crystals don't work on people who are wide awake!_

It was the guy he just listened in on. He knew if he stayed around he will find him. He was about to get away when someone grabbed his arm and threw him against the wall.

* * *

><p>Finn and Junko immediately came out of their rooms, as well as Radarr from Aerrow's room. Aerrow held the intruder in a submission hold against the wall. Everyone was astonished to find out that it was only a kid, but he still didn't let go of him. He had spiky, navy blue hair and was dressed in a brown leather jacket, black pants and brown boots. He also wore black, fingerless gloves and thin, silver-framed glasses. He had his eyes shut tight from the pain of the hold.<p>

"Piper, contain him," Aerrow had instructed.

Aerrow let go of the boy as Piper held him in the air with her Binding. At the same time, Radarr jumped onto Aerrow's shoulders.

"Wh-whoa!"

She turned the boy around, making him face them. He slowly opened his sapphire blue eyes as soon as he realized he wasn't in pain anymore. He looked around shyly, then back down at the Storm Hawks. He went wide eyed when he saw Aerrow.

"Hey, you like you can be related to Lionel and Adriana," he thought out loud.

"Who are you and why are you on this ship?" Aerrow asked professionally as he crossed his arms in annoyance.

"My name is Hunter and I was curious. I wanted to see this ship for myself to see if the rumors were true."

"Rumors?" Piper questioned as she raised an eyebrow.

"They say this ship came here through some kind of a portal over Dangra Canyon just outside the city. However, they made it seem like it was some sort of ghost ship. That doesn't matter though, since that part of the story was completely inaccurate," Hunter stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, where's Stork?" Junko asked, looking around the hall and not paying any attention to Hunter's words.

The Storm Hawks faced towards Junko.

"Oh, is he the one that's on the bridge?" Hunter asked in wonder.

They faced Hunter.

"Yeah, he awoke when I went through there and didn't want to get caught. So all I did was put him back to sleep with a Lullaby crystal. Actually, he's still probably sleeping," Hunter admitted with a finger in the air.

"Probably?"

"Lullaby crystals only work for a short time because they're so tiny."

Aerrow sighed and turned to Piper. She nodded.

"If I put you down, you promise not to do anything?" she asked.

"Please, do _not _talk to me like that!" Hunter demanded, crossing his arms, "I hate it when people who are older than me talk to me like I'm sort of child! I happen to be the age of fifteen thank you very much."

"I didn't mean it like that," Piper sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Besides, there's not much I can do with only a Silencing crystal, a couple of Lullaby crystals and a journal."

"Silencing crystal?" Finn questioned, unimpressed.

"Yeah, it's how I got past your alarm, if you guys have one that is," he replied as Piper put him down.

"Heh, smart kid," Junko stated as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"No wonder… Hunter was it?" Aerrow sighed.

"Yeah, now let me ask you something. Who are you?" the boy asked.

"We are the sky knight squadron known as the Storm Hawks, and this our ship."

Hunter's head fell.

"I see…so you stole the two red sky rides in your hangar. That answers that question," he said brightly.

"Ours were crushed by the ones who were the owners of the rides in the hangar. It's a long story," Finn said with a smirk, thinking back.

"May I hear that story? I'm not in a hurry," Hunter inquired.

"No, guys, take him to the bridge and keep an eye on him," Aerrow commanded.

"And, where are you going?" Piper asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Going to get ready so I can take this guy back to his parents," the sky knight said, gesturing towards Hunter.

Hunter slouched into a pout. Piper smirked and led the boy to the bridge.

* * *

><p>Hunter sat on the table and hung his head in silence.<p>

"So, you guys are a sky knight squadron? Great, dad's going to kill me," he sighed, "So, who's the sky knight?"

"I am."

Hunter looked to see Aerrow entering the room. He was dressed in the same attire as when he first scouted the city; the lower part of his uniform and a tan, hooded cloak. Hunter noticed two energy blades strapped to his belt.

"Come on let's go," he said sternly.

Hunter sighed and listened. He didn't want to get into any more trouble or make Aerrow angry since he was armed.

"Storm Hawks, if anything else happens, you know what to do."

* * *

><p>It took them fifteen minutes to reach the edge of the city. It had silent between the sky knight and Hunter that whole time. Hunter then tried to start a conversation.<p>

"So, you're a sky knight?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I am," Aerrow answered, "Been one for four years."

"That's cool. Hey, I just noticed something."

"What is it?"

"Your lack of a uniform, the stolen sky rides…you've been in a large battle recently, have you?"

"Quite observant, are you? Yes, you are correct. We were involved in a large battle not too long ago."

"Well, to pass the time, can you explain it?" Hunter insisted politely.

Aerrow frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.

_I don't think he'll believe that we're from the Atmos…_

"Eh, to shorten it up, let's just say that our home was conquered and we fought to get it back. We actually won, but it left us short on supplies. We would get more, but our currency… it's not taken here," he said nervously.

"That doesn't explain the rides…"

"Well, in order for us to fight, we need our allies, but they were captured and put in a crystal prison. So, we got 'captured' ourselves to get them out, but our enemies destroyed our rides in the process. From there, we destroyed the enemy pretty much from the inside out."

"Interesting… Oh, look; Lumina Square. The inn should be on the west side," Hunter sighed in disappointment.

"This is the place I first visited. Wait a minute… The inn?" Aerrow questioned.

"What? We don't live here in Lumina. We live in a town called Rune."

Aerrow went wide eyed.

_Rune is the town those Meridian Phoenixes protect! _Aerrow exclaimed mentally.

"I guess I better show you where it is. Come on."

Aerrow followed Hunter to a four story building on the west side of the square. It matched the other buildings; gray stone, edged with dark wood. However, it was the only building with balconies. It had large windows on the front side, and steps leading up to the double, dark, wood doors that were the entrance. The sky knight saw a sign hanging from the side of the building.

"_Lumina Square Inn and Tavern…_"

"Yup, this is the place. Our room is on the top floor."

They went inside and headed for the stairs.

"Excuse me! Are you staying the night?" a chiming voice called to them.

Aerrow and Hunter turned their attentions to the lady at the receptionist desk. She was dress in a white blouse with a long green skirt. Her hair was short and black and her eyes were a light blue. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"We already have a room, miss," he sighed in annoyance.

"I know you do, young man, but I don't think he does," the lady said pointing to Aerrow.

"Oh no, I'm just returning him to his parents. I found him sneak around where he shouldn't be," the sky knight said truthfully.

The lady stood up from her chair.

"Even so, I can't allow up there. Our policy states that someone can't access the upper floors unless they pay for a room or they're an officer of the city. On the other hand, you can go to the tavern, which is just down that hall. That's if you're over the age of twenty-one," she said politely.

"No worries, Jacqueline. He's an old friend."

It came from the top of the steps. The receptionist, Hunter and Aerrow looked in that direction. A man in a black T-shirt, blue pants and brown boots stood at the top. He was muscular guy; he had shoulder-length, navy blue hair and a small goatee on his chin. Aerrow's green orbs widened in shock.

"Oh, hey dad…" Hunter said nervously.

"Up the stairs and to your mother, young man. She has been worried sick about you."

"I wasn't going to be gone long," Hunter grumbled as he marched up the stairs.

Hunter's father waited until his son was out of sight and then looked back at Aerrow. He smiled.

"Been a long time, hasn't it, Little Mockingbird?"

Aerrow's jaw dropped.

"Tristan?!"


	5. 4: Servants of Darkness

**Chapter 4: Servants of Darkness**

The walls were painted a dark shade of gray, the furniture was made from a dark wood, the curtains and bed sheets and canopy were black and embroidered, and the carpet was comfy and blood red. She sat hidden in the shadows of the room, which was dimly lit by fire-bolt sconces. She and the rest of the room were still…

…that was until she growled loudly and the sconces exploded.

"How on Atmos did those insolent fledglings reach perfect attunement?!" she shouted angrily to no one.

Then she sensed that the atmosphere changed, and it wasn't her sudden outburst. Out of nowhere, the curtains were pulled back and the window revealed the dark thunder clouds outside. The sound of metal edged towards the foot of the bed.

"You could have just knocked, Shadow Demon."

"I have a name you know…tell me, how does it feel to blast one of your own to oblivion?"

"Quiet!" the mysterious lady inquired, her voice giving of more than one tone at once.

The Shadow Demon chuckled, "Oh, don't sound so irritated, you are now one of the Darkened… The least you can do is getting to know your allies better."

He held up a hand and snapped his fingers. The room reflected in red light, revealing every corner of the room, including his features. His skin was fair, his hair was snowy white and spiky and his eyes were the color of blood. He wore a black battle suit with a standing collar and only one long sleeve that was half covered by a very dark gray glove. It also showed of the center of his torso. He had black boots and an elbow-length, fingerless glove on the hand without the sleeve. Large, dark colored armor plates were placed on his shoulder and forearm with the sleeve, on his thighs and on the side of his waist. He also had a three white belts wrapped around his waist, a ragged, blood-red cape hung from the top belt. Black markings decorated the uncovered shoulder and on his face. The last details about him were that a necklace with a cross hung from his neck, an earring hung from his right ear and a large sword hung from one of his belts.

A Shadow Demon he may be, but he looks human...still…

"Enough of your games, Drayden. What is it that you want?" the lady asked.

"It's what about I said a moment ago. I just wanted to get to know my new ally a little better, that's all," the demon answered halfheartedly.

The crystal of the lady's staff glimmered as she used her power to pull from the other side of the room. Once she had it in hand, she levitated off the bed to the window. She stood there looking out at the lightning that was randomly shot from the clouds above.

"If that's all you came for then be on your way. I have more important things to do," she demanded rudely.

"Heh, I don't expect you to "open up" so quickly," Drayden stated matter-of-factly, "On the other hand…"

She turned around as he paused, only to be met with his chest. She gasped for she was caught off guard. She took a step back, her back against the window. He gently grabbed her chin made her look at him. He inched his face closer to hers.

"What would the fun in that be if you did, Cyclonis?" he whispered darkly.

Drayden chuckled evilly and disappeared into the shadows, leaving a speechless Master Cyclonis behind.

* * *

><p>"Tristan?!" Aerrow exclaimed.<p>

The older man walked down the steps to Aerrow.

"How have you been, Little Mockingbird?"

Aerrow rubbed the back of his neck a little shyly. He was about to answer when he and Tristan turned their attentions to a man who entered the inn. Aerrow couldn't see much since he can only see the back of him. From what he saw, the guy had long blonde hair, wore a tan fedora and a brown cloak similar to the sky knight's. However, he paid to mind and turned back to Tristan.

"In a little bit of a mess since our last battle," he said truthfully.

Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"Last battle?"

"Yeah, I-"

_"Piper to Aerrow! Piper to Aerrow!"_

Aerrow cringed and his head tilted to the side as his ear took on a full blast from the earpiece in his ear. He blinked in surprise.

"Uh, excuse me, I need to take this," he said, pointing his left index finger into the air, heading for the front doors and placing two of his right fingers to his ear, "Piper, can you please not scream?"

Tristan just stood there with a smile, but then he sensed something off. He first looked to the man who just came in. He saw him watching Aerrow as he exited. He also saw the smirk on the stranger's face.

"Excuse me, sir!" he called.

"Hm, what?" the stranger said, turning towards the man.

The man also had a short beard and blue eyes; under the cloak he saw a tan explorer's jacket, tan pants and brown boots. He also had a cutlass on him. Tristan became cautious, ready to act if the guy was willing to pull something.

"What brings you here during this time of night?" he asked calmly.

"This is an inn, is it not? Men like me need their sleep, so why else would I be here?" the stranger sarcastically and rudely answered.

Tristan frowned.

"I don't know. Here for a drink in the tavern?"

The stranger walked past Tristan, bumping him, and up the steps, but stopped at the top of the first flight.

"Don't speak to me again. If you do, you will be honored with a major beating from me."

"Yeesh, what I do to you? All I did was ask a couple of questions," Tristan sighed in annoyance.

The stranger just continued up the steps. Tristan rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. _Great, he's rude, conceded and doesn't play well with others. Though, the way he looked at Aerrow… I have a hunch…_

Then Aerrow came in again. Tristan smiled again.

"So, who was that? Your girlfriend?" the older man asked.

The sky knight glared at him in annoyance.

"Actually, that was my team. Something had come up, so tell you what, come by in the morning, we'll catch up and you get to meet them," Aerrow insisted, heading for the door.

Tristan smiled.

"So, what's the name you chose?" he called out.

Aerrow raised a finger into the air.

"Just think back and you'll know. I'm sure your son can tell you where to find us," he said with a smile, not facing Tristan.

The older man did think on it. His eyes widened in shock, but when he looked to Aerrow again…

He was gone.

* * *

><p>The grand hall was large, but age, battle and destruction had sweep through it. There were many pillars; either standing, in ruin or have fallen. There was no light shining, save from the bolts of lightning that struck every few minutes. The only thing that was unharmed was a pedestal, atop a short stack of steps. On it was an orb, from which is that dark auras escape from its cracks. It glowed and dimmed red, as if it was breathing. Two figures stood around it.<p>

One was a young Elven boy the age of sixteen. He wore black pants held up by three black belts. Red straps connected to the front and the back of the one closest to the feet hung at the outer sides of his thighs. He wore leg guards that went from the knees to the ankles. He wore a really long, black scarf the he uses as a hood. On his left ear, a diamond-cut ruby hung from his ear lobe and a silver ring hung from near the tip of his ear. He also had a triangular mark under his eye. The most of the right side of his face was covered by his black-streaked, blonde hair which spiked backwards off his head. His eyes were an icy gray. Two circular, spiked weapons with firebolt crystals hung from his lower back.

The other was a creature who had the head, arms and chest of a female human, but the tail of a serpent. She wore a black shirt that shows her midriff and the start of where the dark, forest green and black scales and light underbelly of her tail began. However, no one could ever tell if it was strapless or sleeveless due to the dark metal garment that covered her shoulders and the area between them. She wore a firebolt crystal around her neck, a dark metal armband on her right arm, and bands of the same metal around her wrist. She also wore a strange ring-like thing that covered most of her right index finger, came to a point a little bit of her finger and had a clear crystal embedded into it; and a dark blade was the tip of her tail. She had long, black hair that was tied back in a large ponytail, golden eyes of a serpent and fangs.

"Where is that demon?" the Elven boy asked furiously.

The other, sighed in annoyance and anger. She had been dealing with the boy's ranting for the past half an hour.

"Ssshut your trap, you brat!"

"Make me, Snake Queen!"

"How about the both of you shut up? Lynx? Chimera?"

They turned their attentions from each other to the source of the new party. The saw Drayden walking up the steps. Once he reached the top, he glanced at both of them.

"Are we ready to begin?" he asked darkly.

They nodded and all three bowed to the orb.

"Lord Tyranus, you've summoned us?" Drayden said boldly.

_"Where is Cyclonis?"_

"Currently, she's in her quarters. I don't she'll be willing to help us just yet. Her bloodlust, vengeful nature and illusion of superiority have set her mind on a single goal; she wants the heads of the Storm Hawks, especially the sky knight and the crystal mage," Drayden sighed in annoyance, "Therefore, just toying with her emotions wouldn't change a thing."

_"Oh, yes, I see it now. Well, Drayden, perhaps we can give it to her…"_

Drayden raised an eyebrow at first, and then he smirked.

"Of course, Lord Tyranus. I will see to that."

_"What of her battalion?"_

"Ssshe might enjoy being around familiar facesss, my lord," Chimera stated.

"But, they won't be as powerful as the ones with Blood Lotus tech equipped, since she had destroyed the main console," Lynx added with a pout.

_"What of the other technology, Lynx?"_

Lynx frowned.

"All due respect, Lord Tyranus, I'm not sure if it can benefit us."

_"Hm?"_

Drayden and Chimera looked at Lynx in wonder as he continued on.

"It's incredibly powerful, much more than Blood Lotus, but it's too unpredictable. According to the Royal Archives, one test went wrong and an entire forest and mountain range was wiped out, leaving nothing but a giant scar. If we brought it here and the testing went wrong, only you would be left, my lord, with nothing but wasteland for miles."

Chimera smirked in amusement.

"Are you ssscared of dying, Lynksss?"

Lynx huffed.

"No, I'm not afraid to die, but what I am afraid of is losing all we have worked so hard to achieve. One wrong move can be fatal to our plans."

Drayden nodded.

"You make a good point, Lynx. However, wouldn't the blast, if it were to go off, release Lord Tyranus from his prison completely, even though we are lost in the process?"

"I can't say for sure," Lynx answered with a sigh, "It may, but then again, it could reseal him. It's not Celestial power, but it contains energy that definitely comes close to it. Do we really want to chance that? It may take millennia until you find another to unseal you, Lord Tyranus."

It went silent.

_"You speak intelligently for such a young one. Drayden is correct. You do make a good point."_

"Then I sssay we wait until you are free of your prissson, my lord," Chimera insisted, "That way we won't have to worry."

Lynx glared at Chimera.

"Haven't you been listening, Snake Queen?! It may reseal him, even if he was already free from his glass prison," he growled.

"Besides," Drayden added, "At any moment, the Heart Stone may be activated and the last two possibly shortly after. If our lord was freed, the Celestials would have no problem resealing him the second time around because, and forgive me for saying this, my lord; his power would be out of commission for quite some time."

Chimera sighed in defeat.

"Well, what say you, Lord Tyranus?" Lynx asked.

_"This is a matter I must figure out myself. Like Lynx, I do not want to lose any of the progress done so far. For now, gather the awakened Stone."_

Tyranus's servants bowed again.

_"You may leave."_

* * *

><p>In a clearing of the Azure Forest, near a large town called Rune, was a large, two-story house. The exterior walls were plated with metal of a dark color, but the accents, the front door, and the porch were plated with a more silvery metal. Above the porch was a large window that outlooks the forest from the top floor. Above the front door was a light to a siren, and on it was an insignia; a purple phoenix. The roof was a landing strip, which had the same insignia painted onto it.<p>

Dimitry sat on the steps of the front porch, his elbows on his knees and his nose and chin on his fingertips. He was deep in thought.

"This month has been…mysterious yet exciting. Chimera has been bothering us for the Star Stone nonstop for the first two weeks, then last week, Jasper's father tells him that the Blood Lotus has been stolen and Mae gets a vision relating to her past. Something's coming, and we have to be ready for it," he mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, so what will be the plan for that, huh, Dimitry?"

Dimitry turned to see Jasper standing next to him. The Elf had bitterness and annoyance on his face and his calico colored hair was a mess. The sky knight just rolled his eyes.

"Well, look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this afternoon," he stated with a smirk.

"Afternoon?!" Jasper gasped in shock; he hunched over and sighed, "If I fall by Chimera's claws because of sleep deprivation, I'm blaming him."

Dimitry smiled.

"Your father keep you up last night?"

Jasper yawned and sat down next to him.

"He kept on ranting for hours about what happened last week," Jasper sighed, "But, I told him there was nothing we could have done about it."

Dimitry glared at him.

"And what makes you say that?" he asked angrily.

"Dude, we are miles away from Avalon. You know it will take us a week to get from Rune to my father's castle… Also, I don't to go all the way there just so he can downgrade you because of his lack of trust for sky knights; nor do I want to hear it either."

The sky knight sighed.

"I'd rather listen to him than Gunther."

Jasper raised an eyebrow

"What now?" he sighed.

"Just bragging as usual about another fallen beast. Bah, all they fight are beasts. They haven't gone up against the Darkened Battalions like we have. And there are only three of us," Dimitry declared in annoyance.

Jasper smiled brightly.

"I say you spar with him, and show him who's the better sky knight!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"You do know that there's more to a sky knight than just trying being a better fighter, right?" Dimitry asked in return.

"Yeah, yeah…Hey, what's that?"

Dimitry looked up to where his friend was pointing at. A red light shone high in the darkening sky. The sky knight's faded, sea-green eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Jet!"

Dimitry and Jasper saw Mae standing behind them. Then the light started diving towards them. It was coming closer and closer and at a fast pace. Mae held out her hand and light purple aura shone from it. The red light went purple, and it stopped only yards away. The psychic's friends noticed a bodily shape within the light.


End file.
